First off let me say that this is the best forum ever - so much wonderful information and talent!

I am an artist living in Hawaii who stumbled into tiki culture rather late in life (2002). Ever since being bitten by the Exotica bug I've been making tiki mugs. Not to sell, mind you, just to give a bit of "ambiance" to my studio. A small pile of them has grown on my shelves through the years, and friends have been constantly telling me that I ought to try and sell a few. I was reluctant at first, but after lots of encouragement I decided to gauge interest here on the forums. Here is a shot of some small mugs on the ol' sculpting block circa 2004 (some other mugs in various stages of production are visible in the background):

The thing is... my mugs are a bit different - I make each one by hand using no molds. This lets me get away with deep undercuts and the like that would be difficult/impossible with slip casting. This also means that the mugs are a bit, well.... different than other mugs that are out there. They have thick walls, and feel great in the hand. They have odd edges that require the use of a straw (or some very careful sipping). I make them out of stoneware and fire to cone 6 (I REALLY loved reading Rum Demon's thread on glaze problems. Man, I feel your pain. Ruined over 10 mugs with glaze mishaps - now I have a wall covered with glaze test strips!). Each mug in a series is unique due to the hand-building process and I mark every mug on the bottom with the day it was "born".

I made a few mugs this week specifically as a test batch for selling. They are from my "seed pod", "Trepanning Skull", and "log" series (temporary names subject to change!). They still need to get fired and glazed, but here are some shots of them "in progress":

What I'd love to know from you guys and gals is: do you think there would be any interest in hand-built (no-molds) mugs? Do these mugs look OK to you folks (be honest - I can take it)? If so - what would you feel like paying for something like this (I know it is hard to say without seeing the finished glazed pieces)?

A huge mahalo in advance for any advice/wisdom/criticism you pass my way. And thank you for such a great forum.

Maybe put one on ebay and then put a link in tiki market place. See how it does and then go from there. I honestly dont know what price to put on you art { i never know what to charge for my carvings if someone wants one}

Oh man! Those are friggin' awesome, man! Now that makes me wanna go back and do some more ceramic work. Those are beautiful, cuzz. Keep up the awesome work, and when these babies go on sale let me know _________________

Van Tiki, I don't see why you wouldn't sell a ton of these mugs. Just keep some traditional ones in the lot as in the first 2 in the list with the big teeth. They look kind of loke Ku.
You really have a talent here and I think you gotta make up abunch and let us fight over them. I'd be glat to "Test a few for you if you want. I'm a good testor??
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Such a quick response! Here is a shot of the "Trepanning Accidents" skulls (per rodeotiki's request) - please keep in mind that these are drying clay and still need to be fired, glazed, and fired again! The teeth are porcelain - that is why they look so white. Sorry for the dark photo - those board members that live in the islands know that sunlight has been scarce for the past few weeks.

I will post more photos of the glazing process once I get these guys bisque fired.

I like how all three of your mugs relate so well to each other. They look like they are pieced together like a puzzle. Very good and different from what is out there. Sort of remind me of Dave Burke's (http://www.monsterfetish.com/) paintings. But better because they are little sculptures and mugs.

Woah - I'd love to do a custom commission!
PS - BambooBen, I stumbled upon some photos of your work elsewhere in this forum last night and I am a HUGE fan!

Once again, a big mahalo for everyone's kind words and support. You folks have inspired me to push around some more clay next week and make a few more mugs while this batch dries. Have a great weekend everyone!